USS Lakota
- "No mater where you go, there you are."
- —Buckaroo Banzai - Ship's Dedication Quote
USS Lakota is an Excelsior II-class heavy cruiser serving in the Fourth Fleet. As the fourth ship in its lineage, the Lakota carries on a proud name and legacy, representing a contemporary and versatile upgrade to the iconic Excelsior-class starships of yesteryear.
Mission Objectives
A multi-purpose starship well into her tour of duty, Lakota has completed a wide variety of tasks and missions assigned to her over the years. Some of her core duties, commensurate with her class as a whole, include:
- Operating autonomously under the command of the commanding officer, providing full capability to execute Federation defensive, cultural, scientific, and explorative policy in deep space or along border territories.
- Replacing aging starships in certain frontline diplomatic and exploration duties.
- Providing a platform for extended scientific survey and scouting missions.
- Providing frontline support during times of war or crisis, such as the Century Storm and Blood Dilithium situations, and situations diplomatic in nature.
- Serving non-critical functions such as transport of personnel and cargo when necessary, extended aid, and short-range patrol.
Technical Configuration
Main Article: Excelsior II-class Heavy Cruiser
Additional LCARS Database Articles
- Main Article: Auxiliary craft assigned to Lakota
- Main Article: A complete listing of all decks on Lakota
- Main Article: A tour of key facilities around Lakota
Historical Data Records
2320-2340
- 2328: Construction of Lakota begins at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, the 20th vessel of the class to begin construction.
- 2331: Lakota is launched from Utopia and began a six-month shakedown cruise. She is officially commissioned later that year.
- 2331-2336: Lakota begins her first five-year mission of exploration in the Alpha Quadrant, spending significant amounts of time at extreme communications range. During her mission she had several run-ins with the Tholian Assembly.
2340-2360
- 2343: Lakota, back operating in the core territories, is one of the first ships to have its crew trial communicator functions in their uniform badges. The trial is a success.
- 2347-2355: A period known as the Federation-Cardassian War, a border conflict in the Alpha Quadrant, sees Lakota perform in a military capacity for an extended period. She is one of the first starships on the scene of the Massacre at Setlik III in 2347. She spends several years along the Cardassian border, conducting various patrol missions and engaging in countless skirmishes.
- 2356-62: Following a significant refit, Lakota begins her second five-year mission, travelling beyond Klingon space for the first time.
2360-2380
- 2365: Following first contact with the Borg, Lakota is part of tactical training and development of new weapons systems in preparation for a likely attack.
- 2366: Lakota is recalled from a border mission near Minos Korva in response to the Borg attack. She is en-route to Wolf 359 when engine trouble causes a significant delay. She eventually arrives at the system some two hours behind the Enterprise-D, and rescues several escape pods, before returning the survivors to Earth.
- 2367: Lakota visits the Cardassian border for the last time until 2401, to take part in the signing ceremony for the end of hostilities between the two powers.
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2380-2398
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Frontier Day Debacle
For much of the last few years, Lakota had been under construction, overseen by Andorian Captain Kosev Thiren. As construction came to an end, Thiren had been replaced by a Human, Captain Lorraine Thorn, who oversaw the final stage of construction and was at the helm when the newly constructed Excelsior II-class starship took part in the momentous Frontier Day celebrations. When the Jupiter Signal hit the fleet at Earth, Lakota crew succumbed to the Borg assimilation process. Dozens of the ship's officers were killed, including Captain Thorn herself. Lakota herself received considerable damage and, once the signal was reversed, what was left of her crew guided the ship to Avalon Fleet Yards for repairs. At the conclusion of the repairs process, Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir was ordered to assume command and form the new Lakota Squadron as part of the Fourth Fleet's Task Force 17.
The Lakota Lineage
Like many starships in the Federation fleet, the Lakota name has endured long after the first ship to bear the name left dock for the first time. Information about past incarnations includes:
- USS Lakota — Walker-class light exploration cruiser — NCC-3325
- 2200—2220 (Destroyed)
- USS Lakota — Ares-class assault cruiser — NCC-3523
- 2238—2260 (Destroyed)
- USS Lakota — Excelsior Refit-class heavy cruiser — NCC-42768
- 2328-2398 (Decommissioned)
- USS Lakota — Excelsior II-class heavy explorer — NCC-42768
- 2398—Present (In Service)
Commanding Officer Lineage
Notable commanding officers, past and present, include:
- 2400 - 2401 : Captain Kosev Thiren, (Andorian Male)
- Captain Lorraine Thorn, (Human Female)
- 2401 - 2401: Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir, (Trill Female)